connectivity · the national record
Broadband and mobile coverage across the UK
How good the internet is where you live, from Ofcom's Connected Nations data. Full fibre now reaches about 81.0 per cent of UK homes and offices and gigabit speeds about 87.8 per cent, after years of rapid rollout. Yet roughly 219,970 premises still cannot get even a decent connection. This page shows what is available, where it is best and worst, and how mobile coverage compares.
How to read this
These figures are about availability, not what people actually buy or the speeds they get. They count the share of premises, homes and business addresses, that could order a service at each level. Full fibre means a fibre line all the way to the building. Gigabit means speeds of 1,000 Mbit/s or more are on offer. A decent connection is the official benchmark of at least 10 Mbit/s download. Mobile figures are outdoor coverage from at least one operator.
Computed at local and unitary authority level from Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026, fixed and mobile coverage as at January 2026. Covers the whole UK.
The fibre rollout
Full fibre and gigabit, nation by nation
A few years ago full fibre reached only a small share of the country. It is now at about 81.0 per cent of premises, and gigabit speeds, which include upgraded cable as well as fibre, at about 87.8 per cent. The four nations are no longer far apart. Northern Ireland leads on full fibre at 94.0 per cent and Scotland trails at 74.0 per cent.
Bars scaled to 100%. Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026.
Still left behind
The premises without a decent connection
For all the rollout, about 219,970 premises, roughly 0.68 per cent, still cannot get a decent fixed connection of 10 Mbit/s. They are heavily concentrated in rural areas. In Highland about 7.4 per cent of premises fall short, against almost none in the best connected cities.
Still without a decent connection
219,970 premises (0.68% of all UK premises) cannot get a fixed connection of at least 10 Mbit/s. The great majority are in rural and remote areas.
Hardest to reach (% premises without a decent connection)
Bars scaled to the highest value in this list. A decent connection is the official 10 Mbit/s download benchmark.
Best and worst served
Full fibre availability by local area
Full fibre availability ranges from almost everywhere to barely anywhere. Kingston upon Hull, City Of leads at 99.6 per cent of premises, while Na H-Eileanan Siar sits at just 12.0 per cent. The leaders are often places that were cabled or rebuilt recently; the laggards are typically rural and remote.
Best served
Least served
Full fibre availability as a percentage of premises. Bars scaled to 100%.
On the move
Mobile: 4G and basic 5G are near universal, all-operator 5G is not
Outdoor 4G reaches about 100.0 per cent of UK premises from at least one operator, and 5G from at least one operator has caught up, to about 98.3 per cent. The harder test is coverage from all four networks, so that whichever operator you are on, you get 5G. By that measure only about 63.8 per cent of premises are covered, and it splits sharply by nation: England reaches 68.0 per cent while Wales manages just 24.1 per cent. The widest gap is between town and country.
5G from all four operators, by nation
Share of premises where every one of the four networks offers outdoor 5G. At least one operator reaches about 98.3% UK wide.
The town and country gap is stark. From all four operators, 5G reaches about 71.5% of urban premises but only 19.6% of rural ones. Even basic 5G from at least one operator slips from 99.7% in towns to 90.8% in the countryside. In 33 of the 361 local and unitary areas, almost no premises can get 5G from all four operators, while much of London, including Brent, is fully covered.
Mobile figures are outdoor premises coverage, Ofcom high confidence prediction. Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026.
Close to home
West Lothian
West Lothian is well connected by national standards. Full fibre reaches 80.4 per cent of premises and gigabit 92.3 per cent, both above the UK average, and only about 0.5 per cent cannot get a decent connection. Outdoor 4G is universal and 5G from at least one operator reaches about 97.9 per cent of premises. From all four operators 5G reaches about 63.4 per cent, above the Scottish average of 56.3 per cent.
West Lothian full fibre (80.4%) is above the UK average (81%), and gigabit availability (92.3%) is well ahead of the UK figure (87.8%). Only 0.5% of premises cannot get a decent connection, well below the UK figure of 0.68%. On mobile, 5G from at least one operator reaches 97.9% of premises; from all four operators 63.4%, above the Scottish average (56.3%) and close to the UK average (63.8%).
Questions this raises
For connectivity policy
- 1.
Full fibre has reached most of the country fast. What will it take to finish the job for the last rural premises where it is least commercial to build?
- 2.
A decent connection is now defined as 10 Mbit/s, a low bar in a gigabit age. Should the minimum people are guaranteed be higher?
- 3.
Availability is not the same as take up. Many who can get full fibre have not switched. What is holding adoption back?
- 4.
5G is rolling out fastest where demand is highest. Does that widen or narrow the gap between city and country?
Sources & method
Data provenance
- Connected Nations Spring 2026 (Ofcom) ↗· Ofcom, reproduced under the terms of use
Caveats & data notes
- These are availability figures, the share of premises that could order a service, not take up or the speeds people actually receive.
- A decent connection is the official 10 Mbit/s download benchmark. Gigabit availability includes upgraded cable networks as well as full fibre.
- Mobile figures are outdoor premises coverage using Ofcom high confidence predictions. We show 5G from at least one operator and, separately, from all four operators (where every network offers 5G). Indoor coverage is lower than outdoor.
- Fixed and mobile data are as at January 2026, so very recent build is not captured.
- Figures are by local and unitary authority and average over areas that contain both well served towns and poorly served countryside.
- West Lothian is identified by its official area code (S12000040).
- Source: Ofcom Connected Nations Spring 2026.
Every figure on this page traces to its official source. Share it as it stands.
Keep going
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